"Marcus Gavius Apicius purchased me on a day hot enough to fry sausage on the market stones."

So begins the tale of Thrasius, the fictional narrator of Feast of Sorrow. Released this week, the novel is based on the real life of ancient Roman noble Marcus Gavius Apicius, who is thought to have inspired and contributed to the world's oldest surviving cookbook, a ten-volume collection titled Apicius.

One century ago — on March 31, 1917 — on the Caribbean islands of Saint Thomas and Saint Croix, Danish flags were lowered and the Stars and Stripes were raised. The U.S. had bought three of the Virgin Islands and they eventually became a territory. But what does it mean to be part of America — but not one of the 50 states?

Even after the Electoral College officially made Donald Trump our next president, a lot of Americans are still wondering how it happened. In part, working-class anger is said to have fueled Trump's victory; and to understand where that anger is coming from, some people are turning to books.

Whether you're into romance or science fiction, biographies or memoirs, publishers know the summer is a big time for people to dive deep into a good story. Miami Herald book critic Connie Ogle has her reading list and recommendation to enjoy during the next weeks.

“Dear Books and Books,” the letter starts in blue pen on a torn out piece of graph paper with the fringe still on it.

What follows is the most sincere apology for an act of teenage rebellion one could imagine.

A few weeks ago a girl dropped off an envelope in person to the Lincoln Road location of Books and Books. Inside, Nalani Anderko, the store’s manager, found this apology for stealing a copy of Agatha Christie’s book “Third Girl” back in the summer of 2014.

Richard Blanco's poem for President Obama's second inauguration, "One Today," just came out as a children's book, with illustrations by Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers).

Blanco is a poet and a civil engineer and says in the right brain/left brain equation, he uses both sides in equal measure. He recently spent some time with us talking about his own childhood.

Maybe you're a college football fan. If you are, regardless of your team loyalty, you understand all that goes with fandom: the ecstasy of winning, the despair of losing and everything in between. You own a T-shirt or jersey or cap, at the least. You may even go as far as painting your face, maybe your whole body, to the games.